Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Google Stadia
Release Date: April 1st, 2021
Pre-Load Sizes: Xbox Series X/S: 47.82GB, Xbox One 60.87GB | PS5: 46.16GB, PS4 67.15GB
Gamepass For Console / XCloud: Day 1
Genre: Looter Shooter (NOT A Cover Shooter, NOT A Games As A Service)
Price: $59.99 USD | Physical & Digital
Player(s): 1-3
ESRB Rating: M
Developer: People Can Fly | Publisher: Square Enix
Metacritic: 78 | Opencritic: 77
Cover Is For Cowards Trailer | This Is Outriders 101 Trailer
...and that begins with the game's prologue. The first couple of hours of the game misdirect the player into a long string of cutscenes and tutorials that give the impression that the game is a serious one, with a focus on methodical cover-based shooting. The prologue does not focus on the fast-paced, cover-ignoring, aggressive combination of melee, abilities and shooting, nor the class-based healing triggers that represent the foundation of the gameplay's core loop.
Long story short? If the free demo, or the first couple of hours of your Gamepass download bum you out, maybe stick with it. The intro doesn't represent the very fun game that lies beyond it. There are hints that this is a subversive decision, to make your transformation into what amounts to a mayhem-loving superhero more jarring, with the hero even calling out "wait, are they running from ME?" at one point, but nevertheless, as a tutorial, it does a terrible job at explaining the actual loop of the game: be aggressive with melee, guns and abilities in order to heal.
It is a dangerous planet that features a host of biomes, from post-apocalyptic warehouses to lush and alien forests to harsh, volcanic terrain and beyond. You'll spend the game facing off against resentful humans trying to take over your settlement, hostile, hyena-cow looking' wildlife, glowing aliens and...enemy captains and altereds: mini-bosses and bosses that have abilities not unlike your own.
Outriders is NOT a Games As A Service. People Can Fly have been clear that the game features a complete 35+ hour campaign** on day 1, complete with repeatable story and side missions. If the game is a success, they are open to making DLC.
The story of your character's journey to Enoch, how it affects them, and how you kill seemingly everything on it without a care, is told through fully-voiced cutscenes, the way these games used to be. While there's lore to be collected through the game's journal, this isn't background Destiny lore filling in what the game doesn't tell you, this is a full-on action rpg campaign with some very campy, charming "I'm too old for this shit," dark comedic vibes. The story won't win any awards for writing, but it's charming and goes to some unexpected places. It's longer and more involved than I think most people expected...Bets on how many characters are surprisingly killed minutes after being introduced? Hint: it's at least 3.
The game lets you replay any part of the story or side mission any time, jumping back and forth as you wish. That's pretty sweet.
In addition to the campaign progression, players will move from level 1-30 and progress world tiers 1-15. Each world tier will increase the enemy level, the chances for better and rarer loot drop chances*, and the ability to equip gear up to 15 levels above your player level cap. You can drop your world tier at any time, or go back to your current one to keep progressing towards the next.
*A note about World Tiers: the game is designed to auto-up your World Tier. While this grants you +1 loot drops, it also makes enemies harder, especially at the beginning stages of the Tier, before you've upgraded your gear again. There is **no** penalty for dropping world tiers, other than it taking a little bit longer to get through them in the endgame. If you're struggling, no harm in dropping world tiers to get past a hard section. That said, solo, auto-world tier upping is also possible, and the game is designed to have you right around World Tier 15 at the endgame if you do all quests/side quests and don't die too much.
** reports are that the campaign, with no side missions, will take about 14 hours. That will leave you with 40+ side quests to do. While some streamers blew through the game skipping side quests and cutscenes, they also have said that they expect that if they watched everything and engaged with the side quests, that the 30-ish hours seems right for pre-endgame.
The game also launches with 14 endgame Expeditions that, when completed, unlock a final 15th, acting as the hardest endgame content that drops the best loot based on the selected challenge tier and speed of completion. These expeditions represent the game's post-campaign endgame. Yes, all 15 expeditions have been solo'd already, but by a pretty min-max'd build and by a former pro gamer, SolidFPS.
UPDATE: New Horizon added an additional 4 expeditions, each with its own Easter egg.
Outriders is cross-platform for PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Playstation 5, Playstation 4, and Google Stadia. Through an option menu toggle, players can turn on cross-platform matchmaking. To play with a specific person on a different platform, players can generate a Game Code with which others can join your session.
The host's world instance will determine the enemy level and loot quality dropping. In other words, you can play with your lower level friend bu won't get gear at your level (still helpful for resources, though). The game now scales over-powered players to be about 2 levels above content they are over-levelled for during multiplayer games.
Outriders does not support cross-progression. Any progression earned on one platform can not be transferred to another platform. The game does not have cross-platform voice chat either. So Discord it up (link below!).
However, the free demo does carry over your player level, world tier, accolades progress, materials, gear and mod recalibration library. Drop a Legendary in the demo? It's there for you day one too.
Players will choose from one of four classes: Trickster, Pyromancer, Technomancer and Devastator. From my experience, they are all really fun, and despite some being classified as mid or long-range, they are all actually very aggressive and close combat compared to most looter shooters. Players are given 6 save slots to try out each class, and will be able to skip the prologue after completing it once. Your characters share a common stash, allowing you to transfer gear between them, though it appears resources and unlocked mods are character-specific. Each class has 3 end of skill tree variants, if you were to go all-in on either weapon damage, anomaly power or defence, but it doesn't appear making it to the end of the tree unlocks any bonuses beyond the individual skills chosen to get to that point. Thank you to outriders.fandom.com for the info about the following player abilities.
Close-range class focusing on time & space bending abilities.
Trickster Trailer | Trickster Class Showcase
Healing Method: Close-range kills heal 20% of maximum health and generates 12% shield.
Class Traits: Additional 5% health, shield generates additional 5% damage mitigation
Abilities: Over the course of the game, players will unlock 8 class skills, of which they can equip 3 at any given time.
- Temporal Blade: DAMAGE, INTERRUPT. Paralyze and slice enemies in front of you, dealing damage and inflicting Slow and Interrupt to all targets. Instant. 20s CD.
- Slow Trap: DECEPTION. Create a spacetime Anomaly that inflicts Slow onto enemies and projectiles for 10 seconds. Instant. 30s CD.
- Hunt the Prey: MOVEMENT. Select an enemy and teleport behind them and receive a shield bonus. Instant. 10s CD.
- Twisted Rounds: DAMAGE. Fill your weapon's magazine with Anomaly-infused bullets that deal significantly more damage to enemies. The skill lasts until you reload or switch weapons. Instant. 20s CD.
- Cyclone Slice: DAMAGE, INTERRUPT. Create a whirlwind of Anomaly blades that deal damage and Interrupt onto enemies within a small radius of you with every hit. The skill lasts for 5 seconds.
- Borrowed Time: MOVEMENT. Receive a shield and mark your location for 28 seconds. Triggering the skill again will bend spacetime and teleport you back to the marked spot. Instant. 13s CD.
- Venator's Knife: DECEPTION. Throw a temporal knife at an enemy. The blade will ricochet between a maximum of 5 enemies within a small radius, dealing damage and marking them. All marked targets will be inflicted with Slow and for 10 seconds the first damage dealt by you will be doubled. Instant. 10s CD.
- Time Rift: DECEPTION, INTERRUPT. Create a shockwave that suspends enemies in the air leaving them unable to fight for 3.5 seconds and inflicts Weakness. Instant. 10s CD.
Melee: Deals damage, marks enemy, inflicts burn.
Healing Method: Killing an enemy marked by a skill or melee heals 24% of maximum health.
Class Traits: Additional 10% anomaly power.
Abilities: Over the course of the game, players will unlock 8 class skills, of which they can equip 3 at any given time.
- Heatwave: IGNITE. Summon a fiery wave that deals damage and inflicts Burn to all enemies in its path. 13s CD.
- Feed the Flames: IMMOBILIZE. Pull an enemy toward you, dealing damage, draining Health, and inflicting Ash. 17s CD.
- Thermal Bomb: EXPLOSIVE, INTERRUPT. Select an enemy to Burn, Interrupt and deal damage to. If killed while still afflicted by the skill, the enemy will explode, dealing damage in a large radius. 14s CD.
- Overheat: EXPLOSIVE, INTERRUPT. Deals a little damage to all enemies in a large radius and Interrupt their skills. Enemies afflicted with Burn receive additional damage and the Burn will be consumed. 22s CD.
- Volcanic Rounds: IGNITE. Fill your current weapon's magazine with Anomaly-infused bullets that will inflict Burn within a small radius and pierce targets, damaging enemies behind them. The skill lasts until you reload or switch weapons.
- Ash Blast: IMMOBILIZE. Create an Anomaly blast to inflict Ash on all enemies in a large radius around you.
- F.A.S.E.R Beam: IGNITE, INTERRUPT. Fire an energy beam that deals damage that benefits from 125% of Status Power, inflicting Burn and causing Interrupt.
- Eruption: UNKNOWN. Create a volcanic eruption beneath the selected enemy, dealing damage to them, and all enemies within a small radius around the target.
Longer-range support class focusing on technology and increased healing ability.
Technomancer Trailer | Technomancer Class Showcase
Melee: Deal damage and inflict freeze.
Healing Method: Recovers a portion of damage health through weapons and skills.
Class Traits: Increased long-range weapon damage, weapon and skill leech by 15%.
Abilities: Over the course of the game, players will unlock 8 class skills, of which they can equip 3 at any given time.
- Scrapnel: ORDINANCE, INTERRUPT. Throw a proximity device. The explosion deals damage and Interrupts the skills of enemies caught within the blast radius.
- Cryo Turret: GADGET, TURRET. Place an automated turret that deals damage and inflicts Freezeonto enemies. The turret's health depletes slowly over time and when it takes damage.
- Pain Launcher: ORDINANCE, INTERRUPT. Place a missile launcher and bomb the area in front of you. Each missile deals damage per hit and Interrupts enemy skills.
- Blighted Rounds: DECAY. Fill your current weapon's magazine with decay-infused bullets that inflict Toxic onto enemies. Enemies within a small radius of the main target also receive Toxic and 50% of the damage. The skill lasts until you reload or switch weapons.
- Tool Of Destruction: ORDINANCE, INTERRUPT. Conjure a Rocket Launcher that can Interrupt enemies or a Minigun that deals damage per shot. The skill will remain active until all ammo is depleted or until you switch weapons.
- Fixing Wave: GADGET, HEAL. Release your energy to restore 33% of Health to all players and 50% of Health to your turrets regardless of distance.
- Cold Snap: GADGET. Drop a gadget to inflict Freeze onto all enemies within a large radius around you.
- Blighted Turret: DECAY. Place an automated turret that deals damage and inflicts Toxic onto enemies. The turret's health depletes slowly over time and when it takes damage.
Close-range class tank class that focuses on hilarious bullet reflects and bleed.
Devastator Trailer | Devastator Class Showcase
Melee: Deal damage and inflict bleed.
Healing Method: Close-range kills heal 24% of maximum health.
Class Traits: Additional 15% maximum health, additional 30% armor.
Abilities: Over the course of the game, players will unlock 8 class skills, of which they can equip 3 at any given time.
- Earthquake: SEISMIC, INTERRUPT. Release a shockwave to deal damage and Interrupt all enemies in front of you. 14s CD.
- Golem: PROTECTION. Fortify yourself against 65% of incoming damage for 8 seconds. 26s CD.
- Gravity Leap: KINETIC, INTERRUPT. Leap into the air and strike your targets from above, dealing damage and Interrupting enemies within a small radius of the area you land in. 20s CD.
- Reflect Bullets: PROTECTION. Create a barrier that captures all enemy projectiles and accumulates damage. After 10 seconds of triggering the skill, the accumulated damage is reflected back to enemies in front of you. The barrier also protects against melee attacks by reflecting some damage back. 22s CD.
- Impale: SEISMIC, INTERRUPT. Select a target to Interrupt their skills, inflict Bleed, and deal damage. If the damage is lethal, the enemy will be impaled, creating a zone that grants a powerful bonus to Armor and Health regeneration to all allies in range for 9 seconds.
- Tremor: SEISMIC. Create a series of explosions around you, each dealing damage and draining Health from enemies within a medium radius around you.
- Boulderdash: KINETIC, INTERRUPT. Charge forward to Interrupt all enemies in your path and deal damage. At the end of the charge, you will smash the ground and deal damage to all enemies in a small radius around you.
- Endless Mass: KINETIC. Encase a target in stone, inflicting Bleed and pulling enemies within a small radius towards the initial target. The stone will then explode, dealing damage to all enemies within a small radius around the target.
But the skill tree is just part of what makes your build, your build...
Like many looters, Outriders features multiple tiers of loot rarity, from most common to rarest: Grey, Green, Blue, Purple and Gold. The guns are broken up into Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, Machine Guns, Shotguns, Automatic Shotguns, Double Guns, Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Pistols and Revolvers. The gear is split between masks/hats, chest pieces, gloves, pants and boots. Oh, and there's Legendary variations of all weapon types and class gear slots too...
Unlike many games in the genre, Outriders allows players to make effective builds, and maintain them throughout their 1-30 playthrough, even as they are gaining new and better gear. Builds aren't just for endgame. The game focuses much of a player's build choices around not just the weapon type, but also around the mods that they slot into their weapon and gear. Grey and green loot drops with no mod slots, blue with one, purple with two, and legendary with two, including one static and powerful mod. Mods drop in three tiers that determine their power level. Tier 1 is the weakest, while Tier 3 is very powerful.
The weapon mods can alter the way the gun performs, from standard increases to things like critical chance or damage, to applying effects to the weapon's bullets, including burn, freeze, slow, toxic, or traits like ricochet bullets. These mods are very powerful.
Gear mods focus more on your class abilities, either granting you extra charges, reducing cool downs, or adding effects or debuffs to them. Again, the mods are very powerful.
More than even the skill tree, the choices a player makes among the hundreds of mods in game will determine their build and playstyle.
The beautiful part? The crafting system ensures you can always use your favourite mods. Once a specific mod is dismantled along with a weapon or gear piece its attached to, it will always be available to recalibrate onto any other of any level, for a small amount of resources. That includes the Legendary mods. The game's crafting system ensures that if you have synergies you enjoy, that you can keep them, or if you'd like to try something new, you can experiment with them as you play through the campaign.
Join our Discord? Because this whole game is cross play, the LFG and Crossplay chat functions should be particularly handy...?
- intentionally not running Easy Anti Cheat software
- modifying the game to "enhance a character"
- tweak game time to reduce how long certain mechanics take to perform
- use a "trainer" program to gain an advantage or use exploits like aimbots or wallhacks
Q: What is this game?
A: A 3rd person, cross-platform, looter shooter from People Can Fly, the developers of Bulletstorm and Gears Of War Judgment.
What do you mean this isn't a GaaS?
A: Outriders launches as a complete game. A full story campaign, world tier system, endgame expeditions, a complete collection of weapons, gear and mods, across 4 classes. If the game is a hit, they may make DLC for it, but the plan isn't to drip feed the player content.
Crossplay? Cross-progression?
Simply: Yes then No. You can matchmake with any platform and play with friends on any platform, but your character's progress is tied to the platform family you played it on.
Q: Is this game on Gamepass?
Yes. HOWEVER, It is only available for console and xcloud users, not PC.
Q: In-game voice chat?
On the same platform, of course. Cross-platform? Nah, you'll have to use Discord or another 3rd party solution. That said, the devs have said they are looking into if it's possible to add at a later date.
Q: What does the free demo give me?
A: You will progress to level 7, World Tier 5, unlock 4 class skills and 2 class skill points. You will play a prologue, a main mission and 3-4 side missions, encountering 2 bosses and a variety of mid-bosses. Please be warned though, the opening prologue doesn't do a good job of explaining the full game's mechanics or playstyle and focuses on human and altered human enemies only. It focuses on cover mechanics instead of melee, abilities and fast-paced action to regenerate health. You'll have more fun if you play more like Doom Eternal and less like The Division or Gears of War, trust me. The demo is available now, and not time limited.
Q: What is the performance of the game?
PC: 4k / 60fps
Xbox Series X: 4k / 60fps
Xbox Series S: 4k / 60fps (but Digital Foundry suggests, at least in the demo, it's dynamic resolution from 900 to 1440p)
Xbox One X: 4k / 30fps
Xbox one: 1080p / 30fps
PS5: 4k / 60fps
PS4 Pro: 4k / 30fps
PS4: 1080p / 30fps
Q: What are the system requirements on PC?
PC Spotlight & Details | Ultrawide Showcase | NVIDIA Geforce RTX DLSS Reveal
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